The retired NFL star posted an excerpt from a Theodore Roosevelt speech on social media
Tom Brady’s latest post on social media left fans wondering if the retired NFL star is in his feelings.
Amid the former quarterback’s recent on-air blunder and the news that his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen is pregnant, Brady, 47, took to his Instagram Stories on Tuesday, Nov. 5 to share an excerpt from Theodore Roosevelt’s 1910 Speech at the Sorbonne.
Brady posted a photo of himself holding the passage — about a man who “comes short again and again” — on a printed out card.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better,” the excerpt begins.
“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds.”
The passage continues on to praise the man who “spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end of the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Brady’s cryptic post comes amid the news that the Fox Sports analyst will not be penalized after possibly violating the terms of his deal to become a minority owner in the Las Vegas Raiders. Per his new arrangement as an owner and broadcaster, Brady is restricted from complaining about officials or teams on air.
So when he openly disagreed with the referees decision to eject Brian Branch over an illegal hit to the head on a receiver during the Detroit Lions-Green Bay Packers game on Sunday, Nov. 3, many wondered if the NFL would discipline its seven-time Super Bowl winner.
The NFL determined, though, that Brady did not violate those terms.
NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy spoke to the Sports Business Journal about Brady’s on-air moment, saying “The concern would be if Tom was egregiously critical of officiating or called into question the integrity of an official or the crew. That did not occur in this instance.”
Brady’s cryptic Instagram post also comes shortly after PEOPLE confirmed that his ex-wife was expecting her third baby, and first with boyfriend Joaquim Valente.
“Gisele and Joaquim are happy for this new chapter in their life and they’re looking forward to creating a peaceful and loving environment for the whole family,” a source told PEOPLE in a statement on Oct. 28.
The following day, Brady posted a photo of a sunset along with The Chicks’ cover of the classic Fleetwood Mac song “Landslide”. The lyrics, written by Stevie Nicks, reflect on feeling lost but finding one’s way. Brady’s post included three heart emojis and the lyrics: “Oh mirror in the sky, what is love / Can the child inside my heart rise above / Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?”
The retired NFL star did not post an explanation or follow-up. He and Bündchen finalized their divorce in 2022 after 13 years of marriage and agreed to joint custody of their children.
In September, Brady exclusively told PEOPLE that it’s been “really fun” to transition into his new gig at Fox Sports, but like anything else, it takes practice. “We’re working on it. We’re going to keep working,” he said at the time, adding that “it’s a lot” to take on his new full-time job and “still being a parent.”
“We have our work life that we hopefully all enjoy, and then we get to go home and then we’ve got to put time in there,” Brady told PEOPLE. “I’m doing what I love doing, which is hanging out with my family and my kids, and obviously fulfilling my responsibilities at work.”